Illustration of mermaids for magazine cover, by Martin Stainforth

V/369

fonds

22 January 1915

Graphic Materials, Drawings

9666079

1 drawing - pastel and gouache, on board - 52 x 42 cm

British-born artist Martin Stainforth (1866-1957) came to Australia in around 1908, eventually settling in Sydney where he leased a studio in the Norwich Chambers building, on Hunter Street. He established a reputation internationally as a leading painter of thoroughbred racehorses and in Australia he secured commissions from key members of the racing establishment. He was a commercial illustrator as well, with his work appearing in publications such as The Lone Hand. In around 1928 Stainforth left Australia for New Zealand, then England and the United States. He died in Sussex, England in 1957.

References:
'Local Art. National Gallery. Artists' grievance'. Sydney Morning Herald, 12 July 1923, p.8.
Rutledge, Martha. 'Stainforth, Martin Frank (1866–1957)'. Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 6 December 2022. https://adb.anu.edu.au

Stainforth's drawing for a magazine cover is a depiction of two nude mermaids. Although it is more common to see the mermaid form depicted with a single tail, Stainforth has instead created bifurcated tails which more closely resemble human legs, so the mermaids closely compare to the human female form.

In copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder

Pen inscription on backing board, 'This design is not to be altered or written upon. Please keep clean. Martin Stainforth 22.1.15.'